Apr 11, 2012—RFID Journal has announced that the winner of its inaugural Coolest Demo Contest is Keonn Technologies, a manufacturer of RFID hardware products, for its AdvanMirror virtual fitting room. The company demonstrated the solution on the show floor at RFID Journal LIVE! 2012, RFID Journal's 10th-anniversary conference and exhibition, held last week in Orlando, Fla. Twenty-five of the more than 200 exhibitors at the event participated in the contest.

Keonn's demo consisted of a virtual fitting-room system combining RFID technology with augmented reality to increase sales at retail stores. A customer can select garments that he or she is considering purchasing, and place them on a shelf beside a screen. These goods are immediately identified via an RFID-based smart-shelf system, and the customer can then stand in front of an interactive mirror in order to select items to try on virtually. By enabling shoppers to mix and match items far more quickly than trying on each garment separately, a store has the potential to increase sales. Keonn's AdvanMirror is currently being used by a clothing retailer in Barcelona, Spain (see Roberto Verino Store Allows Shoppers to Wear Garments Virtually).

NXP Semiconductors and Impinj were selected as Coolest Demo runners-up for their demonstrations of how radio frequency identification can be embedded in electronic devices to enhance functionality. Impinj's Lock-in-Transit demo showed how electronics could be deactivated (locked) prior to shipment from a manufacturer, in order to discourage theft. A tablet, computer or smart phone could then be unlocked at a retail store by sending a password to the RFID transponder wired to the device's CPU, or a consumer could take the item home and log on to a secure Web site to authenticate and unlock it so that it could become operational again.

NXP's Interactive EPC Gen 2-Tablet Wireless Bridge demonstration showed how a transponder embedded in the device could provide retailers with new revenue-generating opportunities, by enabling them to offer customers options for customizing an electronics gift within a factory-sealed box. The demo explained how a customer could select an electronic card, wallpaper or special subscription offer, and the information could then be transmitted to the device via the RFID transponder embedded within, while the device is still powered off and locked.

Attendees were encouraged to view all demonstrations by participating exhibitors, and to vote for the one they considered the coolest. RFID Journal's editors made the final choice, based on the vote totals and their own judgment. There were no hard-and-fast rules regarding what constituted a cool demo, and participants did not need a complete real-world application. The main criterion for judging was whether a video had a "wow" factor—that is, whether it was creative enough to impress judges and lure more attendees to a booth.

"There were a lot of great demos throughout the hall, and there was a lot of buzz about them throughout the event," says Mark Roberti, RFID Journal's founder and editor. "With a full year to plan, I'm sure the exhibitors will come up with even cooler demos next year."

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